2025 CLE + COMMUNITY EDUCATION SEMINAR

September 26th, 9AM – 4PM

Perry Lane Hotel 
256 East Perry Street
Savannah, GA 31401

Speakers

If you want ethics - Karin Kissiah, the SVP board president, will talk about Safety Valve Project’s model for defending students in school tribunal hearings and the legal ethics challenges that come with this work. The mitigation-forward approach looks into what is really happening in a student’s life and addresses those needs instead of simply fighting the charges, raising real-world questions about client autonomy, confidentiality, and how to be both zealous and non-adversarial. This session looks at how lawyers can meet their professional responsibilities while helping schools and families reach fair, constructive outcomes.
Currey Hitchens will focus on the critical protections afforded to students with disabilities via manifestation determination reviews (MDRs) under IDEA and Section 504. The session will explore when an MDR is required, what factors must be assessed, and how schools sometimes fall short in procedure or substance. Key topics include analyzing whether misconduct is substantially related to, or caused by, a disability; preserving procedural objections; and appealing adverse determinations. 
Josh Lingsch will provide a current update on the case law developments in Georgia’s State Board of Education disciplinary appeals. He will examine recent trends and shifts in decisions that affect students’ rights and schools’ obligations under appeals, and render insight into what practitioners must stay on top of. Drawing from his experience in both hearing-level and appellate work—including successful reversals —Josh will offer concrete implications for how to approach appeals, preserve issues, and shape advocacy in light of evolving precedent.
Azi Golshan will explore the nuanced importance of professionalism in the unique context of disciplinary hearings for students—where legal representation occurs in quasi-judicial settings, but with educational, relational, and community stakes that persist beyond the courtroom. She’ll talk about how adversarial posture or overly aggressive litigation tactics can unintentionally harm students’ educational relationships, and when to balance assertiveness with diplomacy. Attendees will learn tangible strategies for maintaining civility, building constructive working relationships with school administrators and families, while still effectively advocating for student rights.
Building on SVP’s mitigation framework, this presentation delivers a detailed overview of the legal and procedural landscape of student discipline in Georgia. Renuka Srivastava will walk through a typical disciplinary tribunal from opening statements through closing arguments, outline what rights students have under statute and case law and identify frequent procedural missteps by school districts. She’ll also cover how the appeals process works up to the State Board of Education, showing how variation among district practices can affect outcomes and what attorneys should look out for.
Danielle Simpson, Steven Woodward, and Lane Johnson will be an interactive panel that will combine discussion with guided role-play. Attendees will take part in simulations with panelists acting as administrators, hearing officers, students, and parents, practicing witness examination, objections, and presentation of mitigation. The goal is hands-on experience that helps new tribunal defenders develop practical advocacy skills and anticipate common pitfalls.

offering

Lunch Included!

6 CLE credit hours

1 Professionalism hour

1 Trial Advocacy hour

1 Ethics hour